Dead Moon

~ DEAD MOON ~

Natsume

HuCard

1991

Unlike, say, Gate of Thunder, Dead Moon isn't the sort of shooter that I can play and enjoy at any time. Instead, it's a game that I'll power up only after giving it a few years off. Without fail, I find myself surprised at how enjoyable it is and soar through it three or four consecutive times. It's kind of sad, though, that once I conclude those three or four trips, I've had my fill and can go three or four more years before giving the game another look.

DM really has a lot of things going for it, including nice music (the melody that kicks off Scene 3 actually sounds like something I'd expect from a Castlevania title) and beautiful backdrops that feature stunning (for a chip) parallax. It also boasts good controls (aside from requiring the game to be paused for ship-speed adjustments, but those aren't really necessary), play data following each stage, acceptable weapons that all come in handy at points, consistent pacing with hardly any dead space, and stage environments that connect logically.

But there are two problems: the enemy armada is rather lame, largely consisting of nondescript "shapes," and there's nothing unique to speak of--no cool power-up system, no interesting theme, no memorable boss fights. The game's most distinct aspect is the automatic "about-face" that your ship performs when a boss decides to switch sides with you--not exactly the trump card you'd expect from an exceptional shooter.

Indeed, Dead Moon isn't exceptional. It's just a good game that kinda lacks its own identity.

Harsh contrast: the attractive multilayered backdrops and the all-too-basic enemy designs.

The skeletal bosses are a little more interesting than their "balls and blocks" henchmen, but fighting with fossils at the end of every scene gets a bit dull.

The mid-bosses are traditional pieces of machinery, the likes of which you can find in any ol' Gradius clone.

The weapons are serviceable. There's nothing at all original about green waves, red rings, and blue lasers, but at least here they look pretty cool and all have their useful moments.

Forget the "turning around during boss battles" stuff; the coolest thing about Dead Moon is the way the levels connect up. For instance, your ship descends into a lake at the end of Scene 4, and then Scene 5, logically enough, takes place underwater. This might seem insignificant, but sensible level progression was often considered unnecessary (or not considered at all) in old-school-shooter game design.

At the end of each round, your kill stats are presented for a little extra fun (and a lot of bonus points).